An Ounce of Respect
by Grettigirl123
Summary: During a heated arguement, Dean disciplines Sam in front of a fellow hunter, humiliating him. Now Dean must deal with his defiant, stubborn brother and make things right. A spin on famous fight scene in 'Bloodlust'. NOT spanking fic, but some manhandling
1. Chapter 1

**An Ounce on Respect**

_**As much as I love the infamous scene of the fight between the brothers in 'Bloodlust', I couldn't help but wonder what may have happened if Dean hadn't been willing to leave the hotel room to speak with Sam privately after Sam was brought back from the vampire's nest. Here's my interpretation of another kind of argument between them.**_

_**As always, I own nothing. I hope you enjoy it. This will be a two shot.**_

Sam returned to the hotel room anxious to tell Dean what Lenore had told him. He wondered what Dean would say, and what his reaction would be to discover that they had actually stumbled on a nest of vampires that had found an alternative lifestyle than sucking the lifeblood from humans. Upon opening the door however, Sam soon felt his own blood begin to boil. There was his brother sitting across a table from Gordon Walker, a fellow hunter they had just met the day before who Ellen had already warned him to stay away from. Sam didn't understand this instant bond that Dean felt with Gordon, and although a part of him was happy that his brother had someone to share some hunting stories with over a drink, he felt an instant resentment toward him. Something about this guy just wasn't right, and every instinct Sam had was screaming at him not to trust him.

Both Dean and Gordon turned to look at Sam as he entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"There you are," Dean greeted him, "Where the Hell have you been?"

Sam glanced back and forth between Dean and Gordon. "Can I have a word with you in private?" He asked Dean.

Dean shrugged. "It's fine." He answered, "Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Gordon. He and I have already discussed it and we're working the case together now."

Sam's eyes darkened as he frowned at Dean. "We are?"

"Yup. After the close call last time, we decided we're better off as a team for this hunt."

Sam's anger was beginning to surface. Here he had been grabbed, blindfolded, gagged and dragged completely across town, and all the while Dean and Gordon had been deciding who he would be working with for the rest of the hunt.

"You and Gordon decided, huh?" Sam scoffed, "Where's my say in this?"

Dean casually picked up his beer bottle and brought it to his lips. "You lost it when you chose to go back to the room to sulk. If you had stayed, you would've had a say. But you didn't, so you don't. I made the decision for you."

Sam's obvious anger was making Gordon a little uncomfortable. "Dean," he started, "Maybe teaming up's not the best idea…."

"No, it's fine." Dean interrupted. "Sammy'll get over himself in a minute. He just gets all fluffed up when he has to follow an order, that's all." Dean stood from his chair and approached Sam. "Now that that's settled, what were you going to tell me?"

Sam blew out a breath in frustration and shook his head. "Nothing," he answered. "It's not important." Sam tried to walk past Dean, but Dean stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

"Sam," Dean inquired, "Don't tell me it wasn't important. Now, tell me what you were going to say."

Sam had taken about all he was going to of Dean's display of authority in front of Gordon. "No!" He hollered as he pushed his way through Dean, heading back toward the door. "I'm going back out."

Dean grabbed him roughly by the elbow. "Like Hell you are!" He answered. He pulled Sam backward and grabbed him by the forearms as he made Sam stand in front of him. "You've been acting like a spoiled brat all night. What the Hell is your problem, man?"

Sam leaned in toward Dean, standing his full height to try to get some leverage against his older sibling. "Me?" he shouted back, "You're the one being all high and mighty in front of your new best friend, Dean. Don't make it look like I'm the one acting different." He squirmed his way out of Dean's hold. "Just back off and leave me alone. You've got Gordon here to keep you company anyway. I'm outta here."

As Sam tried again to push past Dean, Dean was anticipating Sam's move and countered by shoving Sam back a few steps deeper into the room. "I said you're not going anywhere. Now relax and take a seat until you calm yourself down."

Sam's voice dropped a few decibels, but the rage was still very present in his tone. He raised his hand as he tried very hard to keep his voice calm. "Don't…..tell me what to do, Dean. Stop bossing me around like a little kid."

Dean stood in front of Sam again, this time crossing his arms in front of him. "I will when you stop acting like one."

Sam's chest was heaving up and down as he was losing his battle with his own temper. "For the last time, let me go out!"

He tried one last time to push past Dean, and Dean countered with the only thing he could think of that would shock Sam enough for him to admit defeat. He grabbed Sam roughly by the arm and turned him sideways. Dean then brought his foot up hard and fast, kicking Sam in the back pockets of his jeans. The force of the blow caught Sam off-guard and knocked him a few steps forward as he arched his back. The kick in the pants was a jolt to Sam, and as a result a sharp yelp escaped his throat, more from surprise than from pain. He froze after that, standing completely still and silent as he still faced away from Dean.

Dean acted quickly, taking advantage of Sam's being stunned into submission and grabbed the chair he had been sitting in just a few minutes before. He dragged the chair to Sam, turned it to face toward him then grabbed Sam by the back of the shirt and pulled him down onto it. Sam stumbled backward and landed hard on the seat of the chair with a thud.

"There," Dean admonished. "That's better, now calm the Hell down!" He paced a few times in front of the chair Sam sat in. "You may be too big for a trip to the woodshed now, but you'll never be too big to get my foot across your ass! Remember that, little brother."

Sam's eyes were pressed to tiny slits as he sat before Dean and Gordon. Completely chastised, completely cowed, completely humiliated. Sam could feel his neck, face and ears burning as he reddened in embarrassment. He swallowed hard and stared at the floor. He didn't dare speak for fear of his voice cracking and breaking under the pressure of the rage that flowed through his body. He instead lowered his head and folded his hands together, remaining completely silent. He needed a minute to calm down so he could keep control of his emotions, but it didn't look like he was going to get that.

Dean continued to glare down at Sam. "Now, here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna tell us what it was you were going to say, then you're gonna apologize to Gordon!"

Sam's head snapped up. He looked first at Dean, then to Gordon, then back to Dean. His look of rage was briefly replaced by confusion. "Apologize? For what?" He demanded.

Sam leaned back in his seat as Dean bent down and placed his face directly in front of Sam's. "For being disrespectful to him. For acting like you're too good to work with him. For not trusting him enough to speak to me in front of him. Need I continue?" Dean stood back up straight. "Now, Sam…..you're not getting up from that chair until you apologize."

Sam shook his head as he stared at Dean in disbelief. "That'll never happen." He retorted as he folded his arms across his chest and sat deeper in his chair.

Gordon stood from the table where he'd been quietly sitting throughout this whole ordeal. "Look, guys." He began. "Let's not make this into a big thing, okay?" He took a few steps toward them as he stood in front of Sam. "I mean, it's not worth getting all worked up over, don't you agree, Sammy?"

Being called by his childhood nickname from Gordon seared through Sam's ears like a knife. Sam brought his eyes back up from the floor and glared at him. Man, how he hated him right now. He wanted to jump up and punch him in the throat.

Dean, as angry and frustrated as he was with Sam, bristled at the nickname as well. Sam had already told Gordon once that he didn't like to be called by that name, and although Sam wasn't high on Dean's list at the moment, he still felt the need to intervene on Sam's behalf. He turned to Gordon and casually took him by the arm. "Look, man." He explained. "As you can see we're in the middle of a family thing here, and it looks like this may take a while. Maybe it would be best if we called it a night and hooked up again in the morning, okay?"

Gordon nodded in agreement. "Sure, Dean, I understand." He let Dean lead him to the door, "I'll see you after breakfast."

Dean nodded too as he opened the door. "Sounds good." He answered. "Oh, and, I'm sure it was just a slip, but I seem to recall Sam telling you that he doesn't like anyone other than me calling him Sammy, so I'm sure it won't happen again. You get what I'm saying, right?"

Gordon gave a look as if he were just remembering the conversation from earlier. "Ooh, that's right." He called back to Sam, "I'm sorry, man. No offense. I hope you two get this all worked out." He grabbed his jacket and swung it over his shoulder. "Good night, Dean." He smiled, then looking back at Sam and in a more pronounced tone, he offered, "_Sam_".

Dean closed the door and turned to face Sam, who was still boiling as he remained in the chair. Sam's arms were crossed tightly against his chest, his feet were flat on the floor as his legs were stretched defiantly in front of him, his eyes burning a hole through Dean as his lips were pressed in a straight line across his face. It was very apparent to Dean that Sam was not going to budge one inch without a fight. His little brother's stubborn streak was in full force.

Dean scrubbed his hand down his face and secured the lock on the door. Man, they were in for a long night.

TBC

_**Please take just a moment to let me know what you think so far. I'd love to hear from you. **_

_**Thank you for taking the time to read. **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Holy smokes! I can't believe the response this little fic has drawn. It's a personal best for me. I can't thank you all enough, really. I was overwhelmed when I opened my email and saw all the alerts, reviews and even favorite story tags. Now I'm nervous that the expectations will be really high for the next half. The pressure is on!**_

_**Also thanks to Issy, whose review was anonymous so I couldn't give thanks in a message. **_

**An Ounce of Respect **

**Chapter 2**

Dean sighed heavily and shook his head as he thought of the events that had just taken place. He lumbered to his duffel bag, took out a flask, in which he kept some hard liquor, and brought it to his lips. The beers earlier that night hadn't had the desired effects he had hoped for, as the dull ache could still be felt in his head and in his chest. He took three generous mouthfuls of the smooth malt and attempted to swallow down the pain and anger raging in his bloodstream. He was seeking tranquility, but all he was finding was more bitterness.

Dean missed his father with all his heart and soul. He didn't know how to deal with the vast hole it left in him, and he soon found that it was beginning to fill with contempt and hostility, and the worst part about that was he didn't care. Feeling anger was better than feeling empty.

Dean again looked at Sam. With his arms folded tightly across his chest and a look of pure hatred on his face, Sam sat deep in the chair in which he had been placed and stewed in his own rage. Dean swallowed again and sat on the edge of his bed, folded his own hands in front of him and stared down at the floor. Dean had to think hard about how he was going to handle this mess with his brother. One wrong word from him and Sam would explode like a grenade, and any chance of reconciliation would be lost. He recognized all too well the state of mind Sam was in right now. Dean had seen it plenty of times before when his father was trying to deal with him. Dean knew he had to handle this better than his dad had in the past, or he would be in danger of losing Sam as well. However, he also couldn't lose the advantage of authority with Sam either. Being the older sibling meant that Dean was rightfully the leader and Sam had to respect him and know his place in their relationship. He couldn't let Sam think that he could get his own way each time simply by throwing a tantrum.

Yeah, this was going to be a delicate road to travel. Dean took a deep breath.

"Look, Sam." Dean began, "I get that you're not a big fan of Gordon's, but I do feel I made the right choice for us in working with him. I don't know why you're so dead set against it."

Sam didn't acknowledge him. He just sat and stared at the floor, not moving a muscle.

Dean gave Sam a moment, but soon realized that he wasn't going to get a response. Trying his best to remain patient, he continued.

"I mean, did he do something to you that I didn't notice? Why are you so adamant against working with him?"

Dean still got no response from Sam. It was obvious that Sam wasn't going to drop the sulking act. Dean soon found himself annoyed again.

"Sam…"

Sam looked up from the floor. "Oh, are you talking to me?" He quipped sarcastically, "I didn't hear an order in there anywhere, so I figured you were talking to yourself."

Dean's features hardened.

"See? You wonder why I treat you like a kid, and then you act like this when I try to have a rational conversation with you."

Sam unfolded his arms and leaned forward in his chair. "It's a little late for rational discussions, don't you think, Dean?" Sam snapped. "What? You think you can act like some kind of drill sergeant while Gordon's here and then when he leaves act all calm and rational? Think again. I'm not buying it. You can go straight to Hell."

Well, it wasn't quite what Dean had wanted, but at least the communication lines were opened again.  
"Okay, look. I know I may have gone a little overboard…."

"A little overboard?" Sam hollered, "Are you freaking kidding me? What you did was unforgivable. And you're fooling yourself if you think you can make me apologize to Gordon for something I didn't even do, 'cuz I'll tell you one thing…..I will sit here and rot before I offer him an apology, and there isn't one thing you can do about it. You can't make me do anything I don't want to do. You think that you can pick up where Dad left off with me, but you can't." Sam leaned even more forward and pointed at Dean. "You're NOT DAD!"

Dean stiffened at the mention of his father. "No, I'm not Dad, but I am the oldest, and that makes me in charge, and you have to learn to accept that."

Sam gave Dean an incredulous look, shook his head again and leaned against the back of the chair, again crossing his arms over this chest. "You don't just automatically get to be in charge. You have to earn it." Sam answered. "And the way you acted tonight doesn't make me want to respect you at all, Dean, just the opposite, actually."

Dean stood from the bed and looked down at Sam as he spoke. "Oh, and I suppose you handled yourself perfectly tonight, right? Sulking and moping around at everything, leaving the bar and acting like a spoiled brat, coming back to the motel after pulling a disappearing act and pitching a fit? You never even gave Gordon a chance….. you didn't even try to get to know him at all." Dean paced back and forth in front of Sam as he lectured him. "You decided early on that you didn't like him for some reason, and you had him condemned from the get go. Your behavior toward him was unacceptable, and you deserved to get called out on it. You need to learn to treat hunters with respect."

Sam's breathing hastened as he glared up at Dean. "And what about you?" He asked.

Dean frowned at Sam. "What are you talking about? I didn't disrespect Gordon."

Sam couldn't take this anymore. He flew to his feet, knocking the chair over behind him with a force that sent it crashing to the floor. He stormed up to Dean and got right up in his face and hollered as he pressed his finger sharply into Dean's chest.

"I'm not talking about Gordon, you stupid asshole! I'm talking about me. ME! The way you disrespected me!" Sam roughly shoved Dean backward, knocking him back against the motel room wall. Sam moved with Dean, keeping him pressed against the wall as he crowded Dean's face with his own. "I'm a hunter too! Do I mean that little to you that you don't even recognize that? Where's my frigging respect?"

…..And there was the kaboom.

Dean put his hands against Sam's chest and tried to calmly push him back, but Sam wasn't budging. "C'mon, Sam." He began.

"Don't you 'c'mon Sam' me!" Sam interrupted, "Oh, and by the way, I'm Sam now? What happened to Sammy? Isn't that my name? 'Cuz Gordon seems to think so, thanks to you."

Dean stood his ground with Sam as he again pushed against Sam. This time, Sam took a half a step backward, allowing Dean room to take his head away from the wall about an inch. "Now you hold on a minute. I backed you on that one, you heard me tell Gordon not to call you that again."

Sam actually laughed for a second. "Yeah, you sure did, Dean. I guess I should thank you for that, 'cuz that sure was nice of you. Of course you did that after you were through humiliating me!" Sam brought his hands up to his head and pushed his hair back away from his face in exasperation. "Dude, how could you do that to me? Can you even imagine how degrading that was? I would NEVER do that to you."

Dean winced as he tried to make light of it. "It wasn't as bad as you think it was." He stated.

Sam's blood began to boil as he recalled what had happened. "Not that bad, huh? Dean, you kicked me in the ass!" Sam shouted, "There's no way in Hell I can work with Gordon now. Man, I can't even bring myself to look at him again, much less team up with him. He'll never have any faith in my abilities as a hunter after what you did. He'll never be able to take me seriously." Sam's frustration finally got the better of him and he lost the battle of holding his emotions back as he felt his eyes fill up with tears. Sam angrily wiped at his eyes with his fists, and then pointed again at Dean as his voice finally broke. "If you would just give me an ounce of respect, just once, that would be nice."

Sam turned away from Dean at that point as he had run out of things to say. Sam felt like it didn't matter anyway, Dean would never change the way he saw him. To Dean, he was a bratty little kid forever, no matter how old Sam got or how much he matured, he would always be Dean's kid brother…. Always being made to follow orders, always living in Dean's shadow. Part of Sam wondered why he even bothered to talk to Dean at all about stuff like this. Nothing he said ever made any difference, nothing ever changed.

Dean watched in silence as Sam walked away from him. He closed his eyes and sighed as it sunk in what Sam had told him. 'Okay,' He thought, 'Maybe I did go too far this time.' He hadn't thought about what his actions would do to Sam. He acted on impulse, as usual, and as usual he had screwed up. Dean actually really felt bad, however, he didn't want to risk making things worse, so instead of getting all gushy and apologizing, he decided to just drop it and give Sam and him a chance to calm down.

"It's getting late," Dean stated, "I'm gonna go in and grab a shower."

Sam nodded in his direction as he plopped himself down on his bed, reaching for the remote to surf the twelve whole channels the crappy motel had to offer. "Kay, whatever." He answered as he rested his head back on the pillow and stared blankly at the television screen.

SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN

Dean exited the bathroom about fifteen minutes later, dressed in blue cotton pajama pants and tee shirt while drying his hair off with a towel. He saw that Sam hadn't moved from the bed since he'd left him. Dean crossed the room in front of Sam as he headed for his duffel bag to stuff his dirty clothes in it.

"Oh, by the way," Dean began, "What was it that you were going to tell me earlier? And don't tell me it was nothing."

Sam turned his eyes from the tv and looked Dean up and down without moving his head. As suspected, the conversation from earlier was over, and Dean had decided that it was time to move on. Sam figured he'd let it go as well.

"If I tell you," he answered, "You have to promise me that you'll keep it between us. You can't tell Gordon."

Dean's face scrunched up in a questioning frown. "Why can't I tell Gordon? What difference does it make?"

Sam shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You just have to promise me that you won't say anything to him. It's important, trust me." Sam sat up and faced Dean. "You do trust me, right Dean?"

Dean sighed as he sat on the edge of his bed, across from Sam. "Fine, Sam. You win. I won't say anything. You have my word."

Sam eyed Dean cautiously for a moment before he began his story of his confrontation with Lenore and Leon. Dean's eyes became huge as he listened on in disbelief. When Sam had finished, Dean sat in stunned silence. "You've got to be kidding me!" he said, barely above a whisper. "You were in the nest, and you know where they are, and you want us to just walk away?" Dean stood from his bed, grabbed the towel and threw it across the room. "Sam, can you hear how crazy that sounds? Are you even listening to what you're suggesting we do?"

Sam also stood and took a few steps closer to Dean. "Yes, believe me, I know how it sounds. But, Dean, you weren't there, okay? You didn't hear what they had to say. You didn't see how hard they are trying to live their lives without taking anyone else's." Sensing he was losing Dean in this conversation, Sam placed his hands on Dean's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Dean, you can't tell Gordon, you promised me."

Dean shook his head. "Yeah, I know, but I had no idea you were gonna come out with something like this…." He turned and walked a few steps backward, trying to absorb and mull over what Sam was telling him. "You can't ask me to do this. They're vampires, we need to hunt them and kill them. You know that."

Sam started to get exasperated again as he continued to state his case. "Dean, they're not killing anyone. Our job is to save people from evil, and in this case, there's no one to save. The only ones being hunted and killed are the vamps, and Gordon is the one killing them. Look," Sam gave it one last shot at getting his point across to Dean. "Lenore said that the pack was leaving tonight to go somewhere where they'll hopefully be safe. All we have to do is keep quiet about the nest, they'll be gone in the morning and Gordon will lose his trail of them. It'll at least give Lenore and them a head start. Besides, we don't owe Gordon anything anyway."

Dean let out a breath as he struggled with his decision. "Why the Hell is it that you don't like Gordon, anyway? I mean, even before we got into it, you already hated him for some reason."

Sam gave a look of distaste. "I dunno. Just something about him seems really slimy. I even called Ellen about him, and she made me promise her that we'd stay clear of him, that he was bad news."

Dean looked at Sam in disbelief. "You called Ellen?"

Sam raised his eyes and nodded.

Dean rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. He then locked eyes with Sam as he struggled with a final decision. "You're absolutely, one thousand percent sure about the vamps?" He asked.

"Yes," Sam answered, "One thousand percent positive." As if contemplating Dean's next move, Sam added. "C'mon Dean, you owe me this much. Here's where you can show me some of that 'hunter's respect' you were talking about and trust that I know what I'm doing. If Gordon or another hunter told you to walk away, you'd listen to them."

Dean closed his eyes as he struggled with his decision. He then reopened them to see the desperate, yet hopeful look on his brother's face. As much as it went against everything that he'd been taught, he just couldn't let Sam down this time. Not believing what he was saying, he answered his brother.

"Fine, you win. As long as you realize that this goes way beyond what every fiber in my body is telling me to do, I won't say anything to Gordon and let the vamps escape."

Sam smiled from ear to ear at Dean. "Wow," he answered. "I can't believe you said that." He then placed his hand on Dean's upper arm. "Thank you for that."

"Don't thank me, just do me a favor and stop whining that I never give you any respect or that I'm mistreating you, and we'll call us square."

Sam snorted at Dean as he threw him a sideways glance. "Well, I wouldn't call it square yet, but it's a good start, anyway."

As Sam went to walk past Dean, Dean caught his elbow. Dean looked uncomfortable at what he was about to say.

"Look, Sam." Dean started as he attempted to look Sam in the eyes. "I just want you to know…..what you said about the whole respect thing….it's not true. You're a damned fine hunter. I wouldn't want anyone else but you with me on a hunt…..not _anyone_ else."

Sam smiled at the rare compliment from his brother. He appreciated how hard and unnatural that was for Dean, and that made it all the more meaningful to him.

Before Sam could say anything, Dean quickly changed the subject. "Why don't you go grab a shower and wash the scent of those vamps off from you? I'm gonna go out to the vending machine and grab me a Milky Way bar before bed."

SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN

The following morning Sam and Dean decided to skip meeting Gordon after breakfast and just head out early. They got up at the crack of dawn and packed their bags to once again hit the road. As the sun was just peeking from the horizon, they were leaving their motel room.

Sam walked behind Dean as they carried their duffels and headed toward the car. Suddenly, without warning, Sam lifted his foot from the pavement and gave Dean a quick, sharp boot in the seat of his pants. Dean was caught by surprise, of course, and the force of the blow sent him lunging forward, tripping over the curb and landing on his hands and knees next to the car. Dean looked up at Sam in shock as Sam walked past him as if undaunted by what had just happened and opened the trunk of the Impala. On the inside, Sam was trying very hard to keep from bursting out in laughter, but outwardly he kept his composure completely intact. He threw his bag in the trunk and casually climbed in the passenger seat of the car.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean muttered to himself. "What the Hell, Sammy, I thought we were past this."

"Oh stop whining, Dean," Sam retorted with a smirk. "It wasn't as bad as you think it was."

Dean pursed his lips as he recognized that his own words from the night before were being used against him. He got up, threw his bag in the trunk and sat in the driver's seat.

Sam looked across the front of the car at his brother, "And by the way," He continued. "If you ever do that to me again, I'm gonna shoot you in the ass with a round of rock salt." He turned his head and faced forward as he looked out the windshield. "Remember that, big brother."

The End.

_**And so it ends. Hopefully it complements the first chapter and wraps everything up. I really didn't want things to get any more physical between them than they already had in the first chapter, but I wanted Sam to get a chance to get his point across to Dean. I think it worked out okay. **_

_**Also, I decided to leave the argument from "Bloodlust" between the brothers about their father completely out of my story. To me, the real writers of SPN did it perfectly, and I'm a firm believer that you don't mess with perfection. **_

_**As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read my story, and please take just a moment to leave a quick review. I would greatly appreciate it.**_


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